Real Madrid can pull nine points clear of Atletico with a win

Real Madrid will bank on Cristiano Ronaldo to inspire them to victory over their local rivalsReuters

Atletico Madrid have not had the greatest of times in La Liga recently, which has seen them inevitably drop "oh that's too many already" points below Real Madrid in the standings. Diego Simeone's men, though, can reduce that gap considerably if they beat their Madrid rivals in a crucial Spanish league match at the Vicente Calderon on Saturday.

Real Madrid currently lead the La Liga table with 27 points from 11 matches, two more than Barcelona, who play Malaga in the earlier game, and six ahead of Atletico. If Cristiano Ronaldo and co. manage to beat Atletico in this game, they will put a serious dent on their fellow Madrid side's title hopes, while possibly eliminating a serious competitor, even at such an early part of the season.

"We're going into it in good shape and we've got players back following the international break," Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane said. "We've got a few problems, as can happen, but we're focused on what we have to do.

"We haven't won anything yet. We've done things well so far and we want to continue in this vein. This is a derby and it's a beautiful match for both teams, for the fans and for anyone who loves football. I want to see a good game of football, that's what everyone wants. It's an important match, we haven't had long to prepare for it but we're ready. We know Atletico well and it'll be a very tough match."

That match is going to get tougher, after Antoine Griezmann was passed fit with Simeone saying the France international will start the Madrid derby. Griezmann picked up an injury during France's 2-1 win over Sweden last week, which forced him to miss the friendly against Ivory Coast earlier this week.

However, Griezmann trained on Friday and is now ready to put his stamp on the game.

"[Griezmann] is good," Simeone said. "He had some more treatment, but he is fine. More than proud, I am lucky to have a player with such talent, who wants to improve always."

Real Madrid will be without Alvaro Morata for this match, and a few after that, with the striker suffering a hamstring tear, which means Zidane will be short on options for the centre-forward position. With Morata injured, Karim Benzema's return from a muscle problem is more than welcome, but it will be interesting to see if the Frenchman will start.

"Karim is in the squad," Zidane confirmed. "He's back with us and he's feeling better. I'm happy to have him back – he's ready to play from the start so we'll see whether he'll be in the lineup or not."